Warne concerned about shoulder

SYDNEY, February 20: Leg-spinner Shane Warne admitted today that he remained troubled by his bowling shoulder as the Australian team left he...

SYDNEY, February 20: Leg-spinner Shane Warne admitted today that he remained troubled by his bowling shoulder as the Australian team left here for a three-Test cricket series in India.

Warne, 28 and the taker of 303 Test wickets, the most by an Australian spinner, missed this month8217;s four limited-over internationals in New Zealand to have treatment on the right shoulder following another gruelling domestic season against New Zealand and South Africa.

8220;My shoulder pulled up sore from Adelaide third Test against South Africa earlier this month and I had two weeks of physio,8221; Warne said on the team8217;s departure for Mumbai.

8220;I pulled up okay. Obviously, I8217;d like to be a little bit better but it8217;s as good as it could possibly be.8221;

Australia has not won a Test in India since Bill Lawry8217;s side triumphed 3-1 in the 1969-70 series.

Australia have only played one Test in India in the last 12 years 8212; losing the one-off match at Delhi by seven wickets in October 1996.

Warne, who started his Test careerwith 1-228 in two Tests against India in Australia in 1991-92, missed the 1996 trip while recovering from surgery to his spinning finger.

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Vice-captain Steve Waugh, the only survivor from the last Test tour in 1986 which included the tied Test at Chennai, said India would be Warne8217;s biggest challenge yet in a trailblazing career.

Australia will be without spearheads Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie, leaving experienced seamer Paul Reiffel to head an inexperienced pace attack.

Adam Dale and Paul Wilson are uncapped while Michael Kasprowicz has played just 10 Tests.

Warne has two specialist but relatively untried New South Wales spinners as support. Fellow leg-spinner Stuart Macgill took five wickets on his Test debut against South Africa in Adelaide and leaves as the leading first-class wicket-taker this season with 50.

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Off-spinner Gavin Robertson, who toured Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 1994 and has played seven one-day internationals, has been called up from Sydney Grade cricket to allow Warne sometime off between Tests.